'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

Episode name pun on: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
'Twas the Fight Before Christmas
Season N/A, Episode Special

Airdate:	(DVD) October 7, 2003 December 12, 2003
Credits
Director:	Lauren Faust Greg Colton Brian Larsen Paul McEvoy
Story:	Lauren Faust Craig Lewis Craig McCracken Amy Keating Rodgers
Writer(s):	Lauren Faust and Craig Lewis
See also
episode transcript	image gallery
Episodes
Previous "Substitute Creature (theoretically)"	Next "The Boys Are Back in Town (theoretically)"
Rating

'Twas the Fight Before Christmas is a Powerpuff Girls movie special that was first released on VHS and DVD on October 7, 2003, and aired on December 12, 2003.

Summary

There's a new Powerpuff Girl in town...or so she would have you think! Her fiendishly foul plot: to trick Santa into turning her into the fourth Powerpuff Girl! (And, in the process, make him believe the Powerpuffs have been very, very naughty!) Now, Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup must explode into a Yuletide tornado of bad-girl-thwarting action to put Princess in her place—and keep Christmas from disappearing forever!

Plot

It is the day before Christmas Eve in Townsville, and the students at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, including the Powerpuff Girls, are all anxiously awaiting Santa Claus' annual trek. When the Powerpuff Girls start discussing their requests to Santa, Princess Morbucks comes upon them and declares that, since her father is rich and can buy her any material goods, her desire to be a Powerpuff Girl is what she has requested from Santa. The Girls, however, tell Princess that she will not be getting that from Santa and will instead only be getting coal, since she is most definitely naughty, citing her actions in previous episodes and her overall personality as proof. To this point, Princess furiously refuses to believe them, but when her servants become afraid to answer when she asks them if it's true, she decides to investigate. While everyone else in Townsville (even Mojo Jojo) gets their houses prepared for Santa's arrival, Princess flies her private jet to the North Pole and sneaks into Santa's workshop. When she finds his documents, to her dismay, she finds that she is the only kid in the world who is on the naughty list (which is a Post-It note). In response, she erases the headlines of the lists and switches them around, making it now look like she is the world's only nice kid, and that everyone else is naughty.

During Christmas Eve, Bubbles wakes up after hearing Santa come and goes downstairs to get an early look at the presents, but is devastated when she not only finds no presents under the tree, but also a lump of coal in her stocking. She then gets suspicious when she finds coal in Blossom and Buttercup's stockings as well, and then, using her x-ray vision, sees that all the other kids in Townsville have no presents and have received coal too. She wakes up her sisters and tells them of this strange occurrence. The Girls decide to go confront Santa, believing he must have made a mistake. As soon as they get outside, though, they're suddenly attacked by a now-superpowered Princess, who gloats over the fact that she's now gotten what she wanted. She then says that she is going to go tell Santa that the Girls are coming to destroy his workshop for branding them naughty.

The Girls chase Princess all the way to the North Pole, trying to deter her progress on the way, until the four of them eventually crash through the roof of Santa's workshop, their fight wrecking the place. Santa, who is disheartened by a night of delivering coal to everyone and the delusion of all the kids in the world being naughty, comes in on their fight and Princess tries to convince him not to listen to the Girls, though he has a hard time believing he shouldn't, since he already knows that the Powerpuff Girls are really good people. Princess then throws a tantrum in front of Santa, insulting him and threatening to have her father build a parking lot over the workshop unless she is given what she wants, even at the cost of everyone else in the world.

Realizing the truth, Santa declares that he doesn't need some list to know who's truly naughty and nice, and places Princess' name on the Permanent Naughty Plaque (a plaque for kids who are so naughty that they have no hope for redemption, and which, unlike the lists, they cannot tamper with) and strips her of her superpowers when she tries to escape to tell her father. He then says that he shall rectify his mistake of giving all the kids coal, but upon seeing his reindeer running around scared and his sleigh broken as a result of the fight, he realizes he may not be able to do that. Fortunately, since the Girls can fly so quickly, he asks them to deliver the presents. The Girls agree to do so, dropping Princess off in jail on the way. After finishing the job, the Girls return home to bed, but they do not stay asleep for long because it is now Christmas morning. As the narrator says and the end, Christmas is saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls.

Songs

Bubbles's Christmas Song

Quotes

Blossom: [To Princess] Don’t hold your breath, Princess.

Princess Morbucks: (screaming) What? Why?!

Bubbles: Because Santa has his own list, and he checks it twice. It says who’s naughty and who's nice.

Princess Morbucks: So?

Bubbles: Duh! You're naughty!

Princess Morbucks: [gasps] Nuh-uh!

Blossom: Yeah-huh!

Princess Morbucks: Nuh-uh!

Buttercup: Yeah-huh!

Princess Morbucks: NUH-UH!!

Bubbles: YEAH-HUH!

Princess Morbucks: Prove it!

Blossom: You bought the city and legalized crime!

Buttercup: You hired Mojo to try and destroy us!

Bubbles: You gave us a bomb for our birthday!

Buttercup: You teamed up with three felons and went on a crime spree!

Bubbles: You tricked our friend Robin into stealing, and then you tattled on her!

Blossom: You’re a spoiled brat who’s greedy and jealous, and you don’t care who you step on to get what you want!

Princess Morbucks: And your point is? [The Girls sit back down and sigh in frustration; then the bell rings]

Blossom: The point, Princess, is that you better change your ways or all you're ever gonna get from Santa is a big, fat lump of coal in your stocking! [Princess starts shaking angrily]

Princess: But I should be a Powerpuff Girl! Me! Not them! Me! My daddy says I’m better! My daddy says I’m the best! And if you’re too much of a fatheaded fathead to see that, I’ll tell my daddy! (She flies around a corner and out of sight. Cut to inside this area as the girls and Santa cautiously peek in. Pull back to the sound of items being knocked around; silhouettes of various toys are in the foreground, as is that of Princess.) And he’ll come and build a parking lot over this cheap little arts-and-crafts Popsicle stand of yours! (During this, cut to her; she kicks and throws several toys all over the place as she speaks, then finishes by grabbing a hobby horse and breaking it over her knee. Close-up of the pieces as they are thrown onto the floor) Got it?! (Turn up from the debris to Santa and the girls, who look down at the scene with some consternation; Princess rises to face them and slowly backs him up across the room.) So, you better give me whatever I want for Christmas... (He hits the tree in the corner, knocking off the ornaments) ...’cause my daddy says I get whatever I want, whenever I want it! And if that means all of those lousy, worthless, second-rate, bargain-basement brats in the world don’t get anything for Christmas, then that’s just the way it’s gonna have to be! (Near the end of this line, cut from her to Santa; back to her after "have to be") ’Cause I am better than them! (getting in his face, grabbing the Post-It from his hand) And it says so right here! (On this last word, close-up of him; she reaches into view and shoves the yellow square in his face — giving a clear view of the fraudulent “NICE” heading. That view gets even clearer when the camera shifts to an extreme close-up of the note; she yanks it away after a long pause) So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Santa Clod! (His mouth hangs full open at this display of unbridled avarice, combined with a total lack of emotional control; the girls are similarly dumbstruck. As the seconds tick by silently and tensely, Princess floats between him and the girls; close-up of her, smirking at them with a confidence born from her belief that she has beaten the system once and for all. Santa gapes up at her, but that smirk never wavers; after nearly fifteen seconds of stillness, his eyebrows lower in determination and he grits his teeth, having made up his mind at last)

Santa: LIST, SCHMIST! (grabbing Post-It, tearing it up) I don’t need no stinkin’ list tellin’ me who’s naughty and who’s nice! (On the end of this, cut to Princess, who watches the shreds float down around her with complete shock as she now realizes she’s pushed Santa too far and has to face the consequences; back to Santa) You know why? ’Cause I’m Santa Claus! (throwing down arms) Check it! Princess... (He grabs her ear, then hauls her across the office as he continues; she yelps in pain under his words) ...You have gone and worked my last nerve! (He releases his grip and leaves her floating in midair. Close-up of her; she cries out a bit more and rubs her ear. Pull back to show him looking up at her with no sympathy whatsoever; crossing room) I have no other choice. (Close-up of his back; zoom in on his head) You are so rotten, so despicable, so naughty... (turning around) ...I’m putting you on the... (Pull back to show him standing by a large red-framed sheet of bronze on the wall — so tall that its upper portion is out of view) ...Permanent Naughty Plaque! (Turn up to the top as he speaks. The word “NAUGHTY” is inscribed in enormous red letters, with four names below it: Bill McCracken, Ryan Faust, Adolph Schicklgruber, Stephen Fonti. The upper edge of the frame is carved in the shape of a devil’s head. Back to Santa.) [Note: The first and second names refer to Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust, while the last is that of the storyboard artist for “Catastrophe”, who is also a writer for SpongeBob SquarePants. The third is what Adolf Hitler’s name would have been if his father had not changed his own several years before the dictator was born.] (imitating dramatic horns) Bum-bum-bummm! (Princess gasps in unmitigated fear, knowing that justice is about to be served. Extreme close-up of Santa’s lifted index finger and follow it slowly through the air as he brings it to his nose. He touches the tip; a flash of snowflakes and Princess’ name is now cut into the metal as well, signifying her permanent naughty status for the rest of her life. She screams in horror at the sight; back to Santa, his arms folded in finality)

Princess: (from o.c.) You can’t do that! (Cut to her, the girls at a distance.) I’m telling my daddy! (She takes off and smashes an exit for herself through the office wall. Visible only as a bright speck, she makes a beeline for the distant mountains. Santa and the girls move closer to the hole to watch her go. He turns to them, holds up his finger without a word, and touches it to his nose. Cut to the fleeing Princess who, in a flash, suddenly finds herself back in her street clothes. She soars along a few hundred yards more before realizing that she has been stripped of her powers, then loses her forward momentum and drops from sight with a sharp gasp. Screaming, she plummets toward the snowy expanse and plows deep into it. A second later, she slowly emerges from the hole, with snow covering her from head to toe, and forces her eyes open through the covering. Pull back into the office; she cannot be seen from this far away.) (in distance) NO FAIR! (Satisfied, Santa turns toward the girls and blows a little dust from his finger; they giggle at the demonstration.)

Buttercup: Wow, Santa! We didn’t know you could give kids superpowers for Christmas.

Santa: (shrugging) Eh. No one’s ever asked.

Trivia

In this one-hour episode, five episodes were mentioned in this episode by The Powerpuff Girls of why Princess is naughty:
- 1) You bought the city and legalized crime! ("Bought and Scold")
- 2) You hired Mojo to try and destroy us! ("Mo Job")
- 3) You gave us a bomb for our birthday! ("Birthday Bash")
- 4) You teamed up with three felons and went on a crime spree! ("Meet the Beat-Alls")
- 5) You tricked our friend Robin into stealing and then you tattled on her! ("Superfriends")
Three names on Santa’s Permanent Naughty Plaque have the last names "McCracken", "Faust" and "Fonti". This is a reference to three of the show's creators, Craig McCracken, Lauren Faust, and Steven Fonti.
- The third-to-last name of “Adolph Shicklgruber” is what Adolf Hitler’s name would have been if his father had not changed his own several years before the dictator was born.
The name of the episode is a pun on "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", and the narrator's dialogue rhymes likewise.
There is a reference to the 1983 film A Christmas Story, as Buttercup wishes for an Official Red Raider Carbine Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle, and Princess eventually tells her she'll shoot her eye out.
There is also a reference to the song and the 1964 Special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," as Santa asks the Powerpuff Girls to deliver the presents that night.
This special aired during the 2003 holiday season. However, while this was released on home video 2 months before it aired on TV, on December 12, this is the only episode not to be available in any digital store (including iTunes and Google Play).
- "A Lost Claus", the Christmas special for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (another show by Craig McCracken), is also not available in any digital store, even though it can be found in the show's MOD Season 3 DVD.
This episode reveals three names of other students, which are Kristen, Clara, and Billy.
The SpongeBob episode "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" is noted for having a similar plot.
This is the first episode/special to have a different ending theme.
Princess Morbucks is the main antagonist in this movie.

This is the second time Princess Morbucks got superpowers like The Powerpuff Girls. The first time was in Mo Job when she paid Mojo Jojo to give her superpowers by creating his own batch of Chemical X and a batch of Antidote X to remove the Powerpuff Girls' powers, but that plan completely backfired. This time, she got her Powerpuff Girl powers because of a Christmas wish by secretly switching the naughty and the nice lists until Santa found out the truth about Princess. When she got on his last nerve, he put her on “The Permanent Naughty Plaque.” As a result, her wish is now considered to be officially null and void, and Santa makes it so that her superpowers are completely and permanently removed.

Errors

When Blossom was about to fly through a pile of snow, her legs were bare.
Just as the girls flew up the chimney, they were in their nightgowns, but when they got out, they are in their regular clothes.
When Santa Claus backs up and hits the tree, all the balls fall down except two, but every time the scene flashes back to Santa Claus, you see a lot more than two balls.
When the Girls go back to bed after delivering all the presents, Bubbles and Buttercup are on the wrong sides of the bed, with Bubbles under the green sheet and Buttercup under the blue sheet. (However, this may have been intentional because of how tired they were.)
When Princess is talking to the Powerpuff Girls after they came out of the chimney, her mouth is closed, but you can hear her voice.
When Blossom uses her laser vision to cook the cookies, her eyes aren't closed like she should have while melting the snow at Pokey Oaks.
When Bubbles looks at the North Pole sign, the "X" in the back of her hair is missing.